during the high Priest life as being the chief God on earth Godwins Antiq. Heb. p 98 Every sinne strikes at his face lists his throne makes to his dishonour Thou hast made me to serve with thy sinnes and wearied mee with thine iniquities n Eâ—t 43.23 It is an offence to all his senses nay to his very soule as he complains by the same Prophet o Es 1.11 12 13 14. Now if one sinne against another the Iudge shall judge him p 1 Sam. 2.25 and if a man sin against the Lord shall he not beare his sinne q Lev 5.17 who shall be his dayesman Reas 3 Especially since in the third place as God suffers by all so he judgeth all And shall not the judge of all the earth doe right saith Abraham r Gen. 18.25 Now what more right than that every transgression and disobedience receive a just recompense of reward Å¿ Hebr. 2.2 Reas 4 Lastly he commands all for execution of his righteous sentence he hath the whole Hoast of heaven and earth at his beck and obedience to chastise us by them at his pleasure What that Emperour once vainely vaâ—â—eâ— is here fully verefied Iulius Cas if God but stampe with his foote he can raise an army of fighting souldiers yea he can as easily uâ—â—oâ—us as bid it bee done If he say to any creature go he go th if come he commâ—th if â—oâ— this he doth it as if he say peacâ—â—â— be still both wiâ—dâ— and waves aâ—â— all â—â—ey him and cannot doe us the least â—u t or hinderance Vse 1 Away then for application with that mad principle of the Manichees who refer'd all calamities to the devill for their author as if there could be evill in a city and the Lord had not done it t Ant. 3.6 Away with that blockish assertion of the Stoicks that ascribed all ill occurrences to inevitable destiny Away with that fond dreame of those Astrologers that excluding Gods providence make their fatall periods the cause of all changes and crosse-accidents Lastly vanish here that bald and bold fancy of such Atheists and Ignorants amongst us Multi cum vitos Deo acceptos acerbum quippiam pati viderint anin o offenduntur â— ignati quod hac infortunia sint amicotum Dei vel maxine Basil Selene Orat. 40. as doatingly deeme it a thing misbeseeming and unworthy the good Lord to pâ—â—â—sh Man that Master-peece of his handy-worke and by punishing him to disturbe as they will needs have it the faire order of Nature That â—e should deale so ill especially with good men and religious this they can least of all brooke or beare with not considering that the best have their blemishes such as God may justly wash off with rivers of brimstone God indeede made man upright but they have sought out many inventions Eccles 7.29 Now if they eate of the fruit of their owne way and be filled with their owne devices Prov. 1.31 Whom have they to quarrell Where will they lay the blame Vse 2 But secondly is it God that afflicts What meane we then to looke so much upon the creature aâ— those Apostles did upon the Angels at Christs ascension u Act. â— 11 as the people did upon the Apostles at the Cripples restauration x Act. 3 1â— as if they by any power of their owne could either helpe or hurt us Helpe us I say either by preventing evill or delivering in the day of wrath Asa may trust to the Physitianâ— y 2 Chro. 16. â—2 and Ahaziah send out to the God of Ekron z 2 King 1.2 〈◊〉 si nequco supeâ—os etc. but neither the one or the other shall come downe from their sick-bed because they sought not helpe of Iehova Rophe the Lord that healeth a Exod. 15.26 Lot may try conclusions and thinke Zoar shall save him when God appointed him to the mountaines but when all was done Zoar was too hot to hold him and he glad to escape to those mountaines b Gen. 19.30 whither at first he should have sted Saul may goe forth to seeke asses and we deliverance abroad but as he found them at home after all c Sam. 9.20 so shall we helpe in God or not at all And the same we say of the hurt we feare or the smart we feele from any creature Why looke we so much upon the malice of men or rage of Divels as if either of them were unlimited Why fault we so much this mans crossenesse that mans carelesnesse or lastly our owne hard hap and misfortune as if we had learn'd that language of Ashdod d Neh. 13 24. It is a chance e 1 Sam. 6. â— or as if that Heathen Idoll were any thing in the world or that things casuall to us were not fore-appointed by God even to the least circumstance of the greatest or least affliction And yet how ready are we to mistake the grounds of our crosses Te sacimus Fortuna deam oâ— loque locamus Iuvenal Vide Paschal in Censura animi ingrati cap. 1. and to cast them upon false causes or resting in the naturall cause to neglect the supreme and supernaturall Iacob when he saw the Angels ascending and descending enquired who stood at the top of the ladder and sent them f Gen. 28.13 David though he knew the second cause of the famine that fell out in his dayes to be the drought yet he enquired of the Lord what should be the cause of that judgment g 2 Sam 21.1 Iob could diseeme God arrowes in Satans hand and Gods hand on the armes of the Saâ—â—aâ— robbers â—eaâ— So should we doe in like case see God in all our afflictions in the visible meanes see by faith the invisible author For although God may and doth many timâ—s make use of the Devill and his impes to chastise his children yet it is but one hand and many instruments that he smites us with He ever reserves that royalty to himselfe of setting them their taske limiting them their time and letting out their tedder Hitherto ye shall goe and no further They can doe nothing and their master to help them without commission from heaven no not so much as make a louse h Exod. 8.18 or drowne a pigge i Matth. 3.32 No t is the Lord saith holy Hannah that killeth and maketh alive he maketh poore and maketh rich hee bringeth low and lifteth up k 1 Sam. 2.6 7 She was quite out that laid the death of her sonne to the presence of the good Prophet l 1 King 17.18 And as for the Divell he hath so little power over the Saints that they have power over him m Rev. 12.11 shall judge him at the last day n 1 Cor. 5.3 and have authority in the meane while to deliver some over to him as St. Paul did Hymenaeus and as the Church of Corinth did then and the true Church doth now such
condemned with the World l 1 Cor. 11.32 Vse 1 Now for Application See hence first whither to refer what to thanke for all your crosses Sin is the great Make-bate Hell-hag Cut-throat Trouble-towne that Pandora like brought at first a curse upon the Creatures and hath made them ever since unusefull and unserviceable nay pernicious and destructory many of them to Man their first master The very visible heaven and earth is defiled with our Sins and must therefore partly be dissolved and partly purged by the fire of the last day as the Vessels of the Sanctuary were that held the Sin-offering Hence our so many diseases distresses miseries maladies Troubles without terrours within they issue onely from our defilements It is this thiefe in the candle that wastes us this Fly in the box that corrupts us this traitour in the heart that betrayes and exposeth us to armies and changes of trials and afflictions In which regard it was a sound and savory reply of an English Captaine at the losse of Callice When a proud French-man tauntingly demanded When will yee fetch Callice againe Pressely and ponderously he was answered Quando peccata vestra erunt nostris graviora When your Sinnes shall vveigh downe ours Vse 2 Secondly in all evill of punishment take occasion to set upon the evill of Sin as the cause and revenge upon that complaine of it to God and men murmur and grudge at nothing else When God strikes us for Sin saith one Satan deales with us as the Iewes did with Christ blind-fold him and then bad prophesie vvho smote him so in afflictions wee commonly grope as blind men guessing at this cause and that but seldome fasten on the right Here then the method is first to find out the Traytour secondly to bring him to condigne punishment thirdly to banish him the borders of our hearts and to have no more to doe with him that hath done us so much seath and caused us so much heart-breaking First learne whensoever ye smart to gather your wits m Zeph. 2.1 to summon your senses to sift canvasse and unbowell as it were your owne hearts to turne short againe upon your selves and make privie search for the Sin God smites at to find out the plague of thine owne Soule n 1 Kin. 8.38 the ground of that other stroke what ever it be thou gronest under Doth man suffer for his Sin let him thanke himselfe saith the Prophet But for helpe let him search and try his waies and turne againe to the Lord o Lam. 3.39 40. Let no man say with the Philistines It is a chance p 1 Sam. 6.9 a thing that comes by course had a time to grow in and must have a time to goe in c. This is to be worse than ox and asse who as they know their masters crib so the wild colt knowes when the damme striketh it 'T is sure as there 's no winde but may blow raine if God will so there is ever something in the winde when it blowes in a crosse-point to our comfort Sinfull men strike not their dogs much lesse their children without a cause The iust God never smites but he hath some iust reason his iudgments are sometimes secret saith a Father Aug. alwayes iust Wherefore liest thou on thy face said God to Ioshua Israel hath sinned Vp search diligently c q Iosh 7.10 11. What evill hast thou done said the Marriners to the distressed Prophet that this evill is come upon us r Ion. 1.8 Let every such Ionas reflect upon himselfe and say what evill have I done Å¿ Ier. 8.6 What sinne have I committed or admitted what good have I omitted or intermitted No rod but hath a voice in it Heare ye the rod and who hath appointed it t Mich. 6.9 Something surely there is aâ—â—isse that God would have amended Search therefore and follow your worke close And that ye may worke by rule First set thy selfe in Gods presence and there lay a charge upon thy conscience to deale truly with thee in the discovery of the traitor to shew thee where his haunt is for I tell thee he will deale subtily u 1 〈◊〉 23. â—2 as Saul told the Ziphites concerning David his supposed enemy Our consciences saith one are like looking-glasses which being ore-spred with dust shew nothing but if cleane wip'd represent things clearely And as lines that are written with the juyce of limmons when they are held to the fire are made legible but not otherwise so conscience set before those everlasting burnings so God is called Esay 33.14 will bring us out our sinnes we shall be able to say of it as she said of our Saviour Come see a man that told me all that ever I did x Iohn 4.29 It will bespeake us in the language of that Prophet Hast thou not procured this unto thy selfe in that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God when he led thee by the way y Iere. 2 17. Secondly single out and set a jealous eye upon thy beloved sin that bosom-devill what ever it be and suspect that above other for the sinne God strikes at For as in every man there is some one element humour passion predominant so likewise some speciall sinne that playes Rex in his soule turnes him about as the rudder doth the ship hath him at a becke as the Centurion had his servants is to him as a right hand for profit or a right eye for pleasure This the Devill studiously hides from us as being his chiefe hold his castle his throne out of which if he be ejected he looseth his kingdome he falls as lightning from the heaven of mens hearts z Luk. 10.18 As therefore he set Adam to a contrary tree that he might not eate of the tree of life so he would turne our thoughts from this to some other sinne make us mistake as the Syrians did the King of Iudah for the King of Israel that he may sit as sole King in our hearts to our utter overthrow You may easily know it 'T is that among other notes which thou art lothest and wouldst least be a knowne of or if it be laid open before thee by God in his word or thine owne selfe-accusing conscience that domesticall chaplaine thou art ready to colour and cloke it to pleade and contend for it to say of it as Lot of Zoar Is it not a little one or as David of Absalom handle it gently for my sake a 2 Sam. 18.5 or as Iacob of Benjamin If he dye I cannot live In this the Lord be mercifull unto me c b 2 Kin. 5 18 Micah 6.7 Oh that he would accept of rivers of oyle for a dispensation Or if he will not thou departest sorry with the rich young Pharisee that Christ should call for that sin which thou art not willing to part with The true Mother such was her love could not yeeld to see the
Satan the father of it advantage both to accuse us as Iob 1.9 10. and to lay speciall claime to us as those that beare his Badge weare his Livery doe his workes Ioh. 8. Now ever the more worke the more wages for The wages of Sin is death k Rom. 6.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nazian saith Saint Paul that is all crosses and curses Temporall Spirituall and Eternall even to the very Itch as Moses sets forth Deut. 28. God may justly expose us to his malice whom we have served in his lusts l Iohn 8.44 for Know yee not that his servants yee are to whom yee obey m Rom. 6.16 Yea hee may turne him loose upon us to afflict us with many sorrowes to breake in upon us and leape over our hedge Iob 1.10 when once wee take liberty to break Gods mounds and like the Hart that hath leap't the Pale wee are found wandring and biting upon the devils Commons Dinah fell into foule hands when her fathers house could not hold her shee lost at once her virginity and liberty neither speed wee better when extravagant David by venturing had his bones broken Psal 51.8 Reas 2 Secondly if wee turne our eyes from Sinne the greatest Evill to God the chiefest Good wee shall see Reason for the point when we shall see him 1 Holy in his nature 2 True of his word 3 Iust in his proceeding 4 Good to his children whom therefore hee will not suffer to fall into Sin without a sensible checke First therefore hee is an holy God and this is Ioshua's argument chap. 24.19 20. Ye cannot serve the Lord saith hee to those that had a mind to make a mixture of Religions for hee is an holy God hee is a jealous God hee will not forgive your transgressions and your sinnes c. Hee is of more pure eyes saith another Prophet than to behold evill n Hâ—b 1 13. with patience though it be in his owne He hateth it in any person his onely Son not excepted who became a Sinner first by imputation for Hee made our Sinnes to meet upon him and secondly by reputation for Hee made his grave with the wicked o Esa 53.6 9. and passed for a Malefactour and worse than any thing the Devill himselfe not excepted for hee hates the Devill for Sins sake not Sin for the Devils sake Now Revenge is the next effect of hatred And hence Gods sword was upon the man his fellow I meane the Man Christ Iesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Litan Graec. whose sufferings vvere unconceivable and hence also His hand is still upon the little ones Zach. 13.7 who fill up that which is behind of the sufferings of Christ * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Coloss 1.24 and are baptized with his baptisme Math. 20.22 plunged over head and eares in the waters of Afflictions Secondly as God is holy in his Nature so hee is true of his Word and that which hee hath spoken with his mouth hee will fulfill with his hand p 1 Kin. 8.15 as Salomon hath it Now this is that which the Lord hath said I will be sanctified in all them that draw neere unto mee q Lev. 10.3 Who these are see Psal 89.7 Omnes sancti in circuitu ejus Psal 148.14 How he will be sanctified heare S. Austin Sanctified he will be saith that Father Aut à nobis aut in nos either of us or on us one of the two For this is one of Gods penall Statutes and it is sure hee 'l be no loser by us But lose hee should and in his glory too that dearest Iewell should hee winke at such things in his owne as hee takes notice of and dislikes in others Hence his fatherly severity For hath hee spoken the word and shall hee not doe it As hee cannot dye so he cannot lye Hee cannot deny himselfe r â— Tim. 2.13 Let God be true and every man a lyar Å¿ Rom. 3.4 For ever O Lord thy Word is stablisht in heaven t Psa 119.89 Thirdly hee is just in his dealings for shall not the Iudge of all the world doe right u Gene. 18.25 Now It is a righteous thing with God to render tribulation and anguish upon every soule that doth evill upon the Iew first because of his priviledges according to that of the Prophet You onely have I knowne of all the families of the earth therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities x Amos 3.2 and also upon the Grecian y Rom. 2.9 For the evill there spoken of is contrary first to Gods Image sith hee is light and in him is no darknesse z Rom. 7.12 secondly to his Law which is holy and just and good z Rom. 7.12 so equall and grounded upon so much reasons that if God had not given it yet it had beene best for us to have observed it Now no Law-giver can sustaine to see his owne law broken before his eyes and not proceed against the delinquent as is to be seene in the examples of Saul a 1 Sam. 14.44 Nebuchadnezzar b Dan. 3.13 Zaleucus Locrensis c. much lesse the Lord who as hee gave the Law in fire c Deut. 33.2 so in fire hee will require it And although the Law admit of an exception in the Gospell to those that are penitent who are not under the Law but under grace d Rom. 6.14 yet in regard of temporall scourges the repentance even of a Moses e Deut. 3.26 or a David f 2 Sam 12.10 24.15 may come too late Lastly God is good to his Children hence hee lasheth them in their lapses now that hee may free them from a further mischiefe that Wrath to come g 1 Thes 1.10 Hee delighted in the creature at first Gen 1. and doth still delight in that habitable part of his earth the Sons of men h Prov. 8.31 How much more in the New-creature that master-piece of his work manship i Ephe. 2.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Hee plants the Heavens and layes the foundation of the Earth that he may say to Zion Thou art my people k Esai 51.16 Hence it is that although he can correct us nay confound us as an absolute Lord yet hee doth neither the one nor th' other without just ground of reason in our selves And albeit Vel ad demonstrationeÌ„ debitae miseriae vel ad emendationem labilis vitae vel ad exercitationem necessariae patienciae Aug. tract in Ioan. 124. hee chastise those whom he loves sometimes for his owne glory Ioh. 9.3 sometimes for their good for Prevention Probation Purgation c. yet still Sin is the originall For this cause many are weake by chronicall and lingering diseases many sicke by sharpe and violent maladies and many sleepe are dead out-right but all in love Whiles wee are chastened of the Lord that wee may not be
child divided no more can many endure to be sundred from their beloved sinne This their iealous God cannot away with in his owne and therefore followes them with one affliction upon another till he have strucke a parting blow betweene them and their paramour that peccatum in deliciis their darling corruption Men are sure to be met with most and soonest in that which they make a corrivall with God Thirdly take speciall notice of what kinde thy crosse is and where it most of all pincheth It is Gods usuall order to punish sinne in kinde Thus Adams desire of the God-head was punisht with mortality and misery Davids two sins of adultery and murther were punished with Absaloms and Amnons incest and untimely ends Yea for one life treacherously taken away he lost foure Amnon his eldest sonne Absalom his next Adoniah his darling and the child borne in adultery according to his owne sentence unwittingly passed upon himselfe he shall restore the lamb fourefold c 2 Sam. 12 6. because he did this thing and had no pitty Iacob fain'd himselfe the elder brother for the younger and is therefore couzened by Laban in the elder sister for the younger Thus God comes home to us in our crosses payes us often in our owne coyne over-shoots us in our owne bow Per quod quis peccat per 1. dem punitur ipse yea many times takes notice of the offending member to punish it Thus those blasphemers in the Revelation gnawed their tongues for anguish d Reve. 16.10 Dives â—lso was tortured most in his tongue which he had most abused * Quia plus lingua peccaveâ—at Câ—pr Abimelechs head had stollen the crowne and therefore in his head is he smitten Sampsons eyes were the first offendours which betrai'd him to lust therefore his eyes are first pul'd out and he is led a blinde captive to Gaza where he first gaz'd on his curtisan Dalilah Thus many times the child is so like the father that ye may safely say such a sinne was the father of such a crosse Fourthly pray God to point thee to that sinne he strikes at cry out with Iob How many are mine iniquities and sinnes make me to know my transgression and my sin e Iob 13 23. And againe I will say unto God doe not condemne me shew me wherefore thou contendest with me f Iob 10.2 This is Elihus advice surely it is meete to be said unto God I have borne chastisement I will not offend any more That which I see not teach thou mee if I have done iniquity I will doe no more g Iob 34.31 32. Let God but heare such words fall from us and he cannot but instruct aswell as correct us Psal 94.12 He that will have sinfull men ioyne instruction with correction will himselfe much more if we seeke it at his hands Secondly having by diligent search found out the traytor that God strikes at lay hold upon it presently take it by the throate drag it by the haire to the place of execution there strip it by confession whip it by humiliation rip out the heart of it by the practise of mortification Afflict thy selfe with voluntary sorrowes not so much for thy paine as thy sinne thy crosses and losses as thy vices and lusts This is that sorrow to God-ward the Apostle speakes of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that either removes the affliction or sweetens it and is found in none but those that have sorrowed to repentance h 2 Cor. 7.9 It is for a Pharaoh to cry out of the plague as a man upon the racke for an hypocrite to howle upon his bod i Hos 7.14 as a dog tyed up in his kennell when he lusts but hath not when he kills and desires to have but cannot obtaine k Iam. 4.2 for a reprobate to bellow like a baited bull at the head of every streete l Iere. 50.11 It 's sin that most afflicts a Christian when he pants under the stroke of his fathers displeasure David cries not Perij but peccavi not I am undone but I have done foolishly Daniel complaines not we are reproacht and oppressed but we have rebell'd and offended m Dan. 9.5 It was not the malice of his persecutours but the law of his members that put St. Paul to that piteous out-cry O wretched man that I am n Rom. 7.24 c. Nothing greives a good child so much as that he hath grieved his father this paines him more than the sharpest whipping so here It is sinne that puts a sting into every crosse And as hell would be no hâ—ll but for the worme of conscience there that never diâ—s this is worse to â—han then the fire that never goes out so troubles to Gods Saints would be no troubles we could not be properly said to be miserable in them were it not for sinne that sets them on You see then where to spend your greatest sorrowes and what to fall out with when things fall out otherwise then you desire Hast thou a right hand that offends thee off with it Is it a right eye that troubles thee out with it Say it be as deare to thee as Ismael was to Abraham as Esau to Isaac as Benjamin to Iacob send it away discharge thy house thy heart of it out of hand Is it not better doe so then dye Surely except we had lingered we had returned twice by this well victualled o Gen. 43.10 as he said Whereas if this be done to purpose looke how old Iacob met with such joyes as he lookt not for saw such sights heard such newes was sent for in such wagons as that his heart first fainted for he beleeved it not and then revived p Gen. 45.26 27. when he found it to be true so shall it be with us if for Gods sake we mortifie our old sins the cause of his high displeasure against us We shall have our delight in the Almighty and lift up our faces unto God q Iob 22.26 we shall heare and see such things even in this life as carnall eye never saw carnall care never heard c r 1 Cor. 2.9 And although God should send for us into his Goshen which is above by a charret of fire some sharper triall yet his very fire shall preserve us It is well observed that both those charrets that came to fetch Eliah and those that came to defend Elisha were fiery God is no lesse lovely to his owne in the middest of his judgments L. Bish of â—ixet then he is terrible to his enemies in the demonstration of his mercies Thirdly beware of medling any more with Sin considering the after-claps and ill-consequents Could wee but fore-thinke vvhat Sinne would cost us wee durst not but be innocent for Knowest thou not said hee that it will be bitternesse in the end Å¿ 2 Sam. 2.26 A man cannot bathe himselfe in the sweet pleasures of